November 2010

The charter school movement is dependent upon the hard work of visionary founders, leaders, and authorizers, plus dedicated teachers and volunteers and inspired students. The Association is proud to recognize several of them this month.

CCSA has staff in the Northeastern California, Bay Area, Central Valley, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and San Diego regions, which allows the Association to respond to members across the state, but presents some challenges when attempting to facilitate the type of in-person work necessary to advance CCSA’s work on behalf of the movement. Our geographically-dispersed staff meet twice a year for all-staff retreats, focusing on strategic planning and action, identifying opportunities for cross-team collaboration, and building a common understanding on important issues facing the movement. In short, the retreats help CCSA identify how to maximize successes, respond to challenges facing charters and to accomplish the Association’s strategic goals. This year’s fall retreat also helped staff get in touch with the reason we exist—our member schools—in a very personal way.

The historic volume of new charter schools in 2010-11 shows the California charter school movement’s tireless efforts are paying off in a number of ways. None of this is possible without the pooling of minds and resources, so thank you for your continued membership with CCSA. Your feedback keeps us on pace with school needs, and one way we gather feedback is through an annual satisfaction survey.

CCSA’s Charter Employee Services and the Association of American Educators are proud to announce scholarships specifically designed to meet the needs of California’s charter school educators. CES participants are eligible to receive up to $300 to attend the 18th Annual CA Charter Schools Conference at the San Diego Convention Center March 7-10th, 2011—the exclusive charter school professional event of the year. A total of $10,000 in scholarships will be awarded.

The California Charter Schools Association will award five $1,500 scholarships to high school graduates of Association member schools. The scholarships are given in memory of Susan Steelman Bragato, a pioneer in the nation’s charter school movement. Applications must be completed by Friday, December 10, 2010.

Jed Wallace, President and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), released the following statement on the Los Angeles Superior Court Decision on CCSA vs. LAUSD Proposition 39 Lawsuit.

Today, the State Board of Education (SBE) voted in favor of approving new regulations that establish academic standards and lay out a clear process for triggering close reviews of charter schools that may result in their revocation by the State Board. Jed Wallace, President and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), released this statement on the SBE’s action.

CCSA today announced the largest one-year growth of new charter schools in the nation, as 115 new schools opened their doors at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year. The total number of charter schools in California now stands at 912, the highest number of any state in the country.

CCSA rebuilds the annual California Charter Schools Conference program each year through a “Call for Presentations” for breakout sessions. This year, we received more than 500 proposals in response to our Call for Presentations, a new record for the conference.

Join CCSA for a free four-part online webinar series called “Starting a High-Quality Charter School.” The series provides participants with an understanding of the school development process and the building blocks necessary to develop a charter school.